Brock Purdy has been one of the NFL's best quarterbacks since he began playing as a rookie in 2022. The San Francisco 49ers selected Purdy with the final pick in that year's draft. He started as the team's number four QB, but quickly moved up to number three and made the team out of training camp.
When starting QB Trey Lance went down with a season-ending injury, Purdy moved to QB2 behind Jimmy Garoppolo. But when Garoppolo was lost for the season, Purdy was pushed into the role as QB1, and the 49ers have not looked back since. Neither has Purdy.
Just how good has Purdy been? For starters, Purdy has the highest passer rating (112.6) in NFL history through a player's first 25 games. That's just ahead of quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Hall of Famer, Kurt Warner. Last week, on a podcast, 49ers star edge rusher, Nick Bosa, said, "When Jimmy went down in 2022, I thought our season was over…Then he played great that Dolphins game and I was like, 'Alright that was good but you know…' and then he dominates against Tom Brady and he just keeps proving me, and the whole team, and the whole country and world wrong. We got lucky with him for sure."
On Friday, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan joined Greg Papa on "49ers Game Plan" on NBC Sports Bay Area. Papa noted Purdy's record as a starting QB (19-6), along with some 49ers QB records, like passing yards, completion percentage, and touchdowns. But Papa said that one record that has stuck out to him is that the 49ers are averaging 29.6 points per game with Purdy as their quarterback. Since the merger in 1970, there have been a lot of historic starts to a career, but the 49ers' record with Purdy is the best in the history of the NFL through 25 games. Patrick Mahomes is second. Tom Brady is fourth. It's amazing what Purdy has accomplished so far.
"I mean, I'd like to say he's just come along the whole time, but I always go back to that first Miami game and how unbelievable he was off the bench, coming into a very hard situation," Shanahan said. "The way they were playing us just under duress, just with all the blitzes, similar to the stuff that we have been seeing in Minnesota these last two years, and just how we played that game kind of showed how everything else was going to go. Now usually the more guys play, they get more scars, things start to happen. And what was unbelievable with Brock, you know, that first year, the seven games or whatever it was, he almost went through every situation that year. Coming off the bench, playing at a high level, having to do it as a starter, breaking his ribs and having to play four days later on Thursday, getting through that, getting through a playoff game, winning a playoff game, then having such a crucial injury at the end of the year to where that's a huge risk coming back the next year."
Purdy responded hugely in 2023, leading the NFL in passer rating, QBR, TD%, yards per attempt, yards per completion, net yards gained per pass attempt, and more. He was fourth in NFL MVP voting, and sixth in Offensive Player of the Year. He had a special season, and in 2024, Purdy has been even better than he was a year ago, especially when you consider he has not had the weapons to rely on as he did in 2022 and 2023.
"He was able to come back, pull it off, carry all the pressure all year, playing at MVP level, and be able to handle that. Taking us to a Super Bowl, having a four-pick game, and then bouncing back the next week and playing a great game. And he's been through everything in such a little amount of time and I mean, it's obvious what he is. I don't get what, there shouldn't be any debate. He's done it very consistently, as consistently as anyone. That's what I see with my own eyes when I hear stats like that. It's just even more confirmation with what we see."
Although the 49ers' red zone offense has been lacking so far in 2024, mostly due to missing star RB Christian McCaffrey, Purdy and the offense have moved the ball at a high level. If they can clean up some early-season issues, this offense has the potential to be one of the best in the league. And Purdy is the main reason why.
Watch Shanahan's full interview on NBC Sports Bay Area: